Brake hanger and method of making



Dec. 26, 1950 R. B. COTTRELL BRAKE HANGER AND METHOD OF MAKING Filed Oct. 6, 1948 3 aw NW 2 INVENTOR! Poeaffi Cozzze/Z Patented Dec. 26, 1950 BRAKE HANGER AND METHOD OF MAKING Robert B. Cottrell, Chicago, 111., assignorto Amer,- ican Steel Foundries, Chicago, 111., a, corpora.-

tion of New Jersey Application October 6, 1948, Serial No. 53,058

12 Cla ms- 1 This invention relates to railwa brake equipment and more particularly to a novel brake hanger assembly and the method of making the same.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a novel connection between a brake hanger and its Supporting bracket which will eliminate all wear between the hanger and the bracket and also satisfactorily control various movements of the hanger and thus the movements of the brake rigging connected to the hanger.

The invention contemplates the provision of a rubber bushing at the connection between the hanger and the support, and stressing the bushs ing in such manner as to reduce its Yield. n the plane of the hanger to thereby obtain greater control over certain movements of the hanger which experience has shown are particularly destructive.

A more specific object is to provide a brake hanger with a pivot portion of special form designed to stress the surrounding rubber bushing in compression in the plane of the hanger upon pivotal movement of the hanger.

A further object of th invention is to simplify the connection between the brake hanger and its support bracket by reducing the number of separate parts to the minimum.

Another object of the invention is to design a novel brake hanger assembly which may be easily assembled and disassembled with respect to an associated brake hanger bracket.

A different object of the invention is to devise an economical and efficient method of making this novel brake hanger assembly.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the specification and the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the hanger and support assembly;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is an isometric projection of the brake hanger assembly and illustrating in phantom lines the hanger rod as formed into a loop hanger to achieve the structure shown in Figure 1.

The specifi embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the drawings contemplates a bracket or support generally designated 2 including an arm a which is preferably formed integral with a car truck frame (not shown).

The outer end of the arm is enlarged laterally with the lateral enlargements forming vertically spaced W bs or l w mem ers 6 and 8, Whose inn r surfaces preferably diverge or flare slightly toward their free ends, as more clearly shown in Figure 2, providing a socket in open at the front and at both sides. The rear or inner end of the socket is closed by an upright wall i2 of arm 4 merging with the inner extremities of the top and bottom jaw members 6 and 8.

A one-piece metallic block or bearing 14, of generally trapezoidal form, is snugl received within the socket ill. The small base It of block !2 is seated as at it against the inner, generally vertical, fiat face of wall I2, and the top and bottom sides of the block, which flare in a direc tion toward the front end of the socket, are afforded a tight complementary fit against the inner surfaces of the top and bottom jaw members B and 8 as at 28 and 22, respectively. The webs 6 and 8 and wall In are cored away at their juncture as at 24, 24 to insure a good fit of the block within the socket.

The large base 25 of the block or insert it is slotted vertically as at 26 for reception of securing means, such as a cotter key 28, extending through verticall aligned openings 39,. 30 in the forward ends of the top and bottom webs 6 and 8.

A substantially horizontal, central, transverse, preferably round, opening 32 is provided through the block, and within the opening is positioned a cylindrical resilient bushing 34, such as rubber, through which extends the upper crossbar 35 of a loop-type hanger, generall designated 38. The bushing is preferably bonded to the crossbar 36 and the block it.

The crossbar 36 is of nonround section, preferably oval or elliptical in shape asbest seen in Figure 2. It will be observed that the major diameter of the oval crossbar is substantially normal to the plane of the hanger and that the minor diameter of the crossbar 35 is substantially coplanar with the plane of the hanger. This feature affords a large seating area for the top and botom of the crossbar 35 against the bushing and also a reduction in unit area loading on the bushing.

The hanger 3'8 pivots on the crossbar 35 thereof for application and release of the brakes, and supports associated brake structure on the lower crossbar ill which is connected to crossbar 36 by the p ced less 42, 4

In the manufacture of the brake hanger as-. sembly, a metal rod e4 (Figure 53), preferably of round section, is cut to length. Thereafter the middle portion of the rod, which is to form the crossbar 35 of the hanger, is forged or otherwise deformed into a nonrcund section, preferabl of oval shape as shown in Figure 2. The cylindrical rubber bushing 34 is then sleeved onto the ovalshaped portion of the rod by inserting the bushing over one end of the rod and then moving the same to a position over the oval-shaped portion.

The block I4 is then sleeved over the rod and moved onto the resilient bushing which is received within the opening 32 in the block and compressed between the rod and block so as to tightly engage the same. Of course, the block may be inserted first on the rod and then the bushing may be interposed between the block and the intermediate portion of the rod.

In assembling the rod and bushing with the block, care is taken to insure that the major diameter or axis of the oval-shaped portion of the rod extends diagonally with respect to the planes of the bases l6 and 25 of the block and that it lies in a plane converging with the plane of the top surface of the block toward the rear of the block so that the formed hanger, when rotated to supporting position, will stress the rubber in a certain predetermined manner as hereinafter described. The portions of the rod at opposite ends of the oval-shaped portion are then bent in a direction toward the bottom portion of the block to form substantially parallel legs substantially coplanar with the minor diameter or axis of the oval-shaped portion. The lower ends of the rod are then bent toward each other to form the crossbar 43 substantially par-- allel to the crossbar 3t. The ends of the rod are connected as by welding at 56 (Figure 3) to each other and any excess weld, if present, is ground ofi.

To assemble the hanger assembly with the bracket, the block i4 is inserted into the socket l6, as shown in Figure 2, seated as heretofore described. Then the key 23 is inserted into the openings 33, 3d and groove 25. The hanger as thus far assembled will assume a position disposing its lower end inwardly of its axis of rotation and thus lie in a plane sloping r wardly forwardly of the bracket. Upon attachment to the associated brake equipment, the hanger is rotated in a counterclockwise direction (Fi ure 2), thus stressing all or" the portions of the bushing in shear and also placing certain pertions of the bushing above and below the cross bar 3.; in compression. These stresses are in addition to the initial compressive stresses imposed on the bushing when assembled with the hanger and the block.

The additional compression of the rubber at the top and bottom of the crossbar 35 reduces the yield of the bushing in the plane of the hanger so that greater resistance is offered to upward and downward movement of the hanger. When the brakes are applied, the hanger rotates further, thus increasing the additional compressive stresses on the rubber above and below crossbar 36 and still greater resistance is offered to upward or downward movement of the hanger, depending on the direction of rotation of the wheel. The torque or shear forces on the bush ing help in releasing the brakes. Release of the brakes does not release all of the torque on the bushing due to the weight of the associated brake equipment so that the rubber above and below the crossbar will still be maintained under the initial and added compression, reducing its yield to vertical and lateral movements of the hanger.

I claim:

1 In a brake arrangement, support means having a cylindrical opening therethrough, a hanger having a pivot element extending through said opening, said element being oval-shape in cross section with its major diameter disposed substantially normal to the plane of said hanger and element, and a cylindrical bushing of flowable resilient material within said opening compressed between said element and support means, said bushing having a normal cylindrical aperture distorted by said element to oval shape by deforming said material and causing it to flow from the spaces between the periphery of the opening and areas of said element adjacent an axial plane of said element coplanar with said diameter to spaces at opposite sides of said plane.

2. In a, brake assembly, a support with a cylindrical opening therethrough, a loop hanger having a portion oval-shape in cross section extending through said opening with its major axis disposed substantially normal to the pla ne of t e hanger, and cylindrical resilient bushing within said opening surrounding said portion and stressed in compression between said support and portion, said bushing having complementary cylindrical face engagement at its outer periphery with said sup ort within said opening and being deiormed at its inner periphery to conform to the shape of said portion whereby said bushing is caused to flow from areas in line with said axis to areas at opposite sides of said portion in the plane of the hanger.

3. A method or making a brake hanger assembly comprisin the steps of cutting a bar of metal to length, then deforming an intermedi' ate portion of the bar into elliptical shape, then inserting a cylindrical resilient bushing 0.? nowable material into a complementary cylindrical opening in a metallic bearing block, then extending said bar through the cylindrical opening in the bushing and positioning said portion in said openin in the bushing by distorting said material in compression between said portion and block whereby the opening in the bushing is caused to assume an elliptical shape and the material is caused to how from the spaces in the opening in the block at the ends of the major axis or" said portion to the remaining spaces in the opening in the block, then bending the sections of the rod at opposite ends of said portion into a loop, and then joining the ends oi said sections.

4. A method of making a brake hanger assembly comprising the steps of providing a hearing block with a cylindrical opening therethrough, then cutting a bar of metal to length, then deforming an intermediate portion or the bar into elliptical shape, then positioning portion ill the opening by extending the bar through the opening. then inserting a resilient, normally c3 lindrical rubber bushing into said opening 0 said portion by compressing the bushing between said block and said portion whereby said bushing is caused to flow from the spaces the opening at the ends of the major axis of said por n to the remaining spaces in the opening, then bending the sections of the rod at opposite ends of said portion into a loop, and then joining the ends of said sections.

5. A method of making a brake hanger assembly comprising the steps of cutting a b r of metal to length, then deforming an interm fate portion of the bar into elliptical shape, then sleeving a normally cylindrical bushing into said portion,

whereby said bushing is caused to assume an elliptical shape, then providing a bearing block with a cylindrical opening therethrough, then sleeving said block over said portion and bushing by deforming the outer contour i said bushing into cylindrical shape whereby said bushing is caused to flow as a result of compression between said portion block from between the spaces between the portion and block along the major axis of said portion to the remaining spaces in said opening, then bending the sections of the rod at opposite ends of said portion into a loop, and then joining the ends of said sections.

6. A brake hanger assembly comprising a onepiece bearing block with a cylindrical opening therethrough, a cylindrical resilient bushing in said opening, a hanger comprising a rod having an intermediate elliptical portion extended through a normally cylindrical opening in said bushing by deforming the bushing, said rod being bent at opposite ends of said portion to form spaced generally parallel legs, the extremities of said rod being bent toward each other to provide a crossbar generally parallel to said portion and connected to each other to form a continuous loop, said bushing being under greatest compressive loading at points aligned with the major axis of the ellipse, the compressive loading of the bushing progressively decreasing toward the minor axis of the ellipse.

In a brake assembly, a support, a bearing block carried thereby, a loop hanger having a pivot portion extending through a cylindrical opening in said block, and resilient means within said opening compressed between said pivot portion and said bearing block and connected thereto, said pivot portion being of nonround section and arranged to stress said resilient means in shear and in compression in the plane of said hanger and primarily in shear along a plane angulirly related to the plane of said hanger upon rotation of said hanger, said resilient means comprising a cylindrical bushing of deformable material distorted internally by said portion to the contour thereof, thereby causing said material to crowd into the spaces between said pivot portion and opening at opposite sides of said second-mentioned plane.

8. A brake assembly comprising support means, a hanger, pivot means for said hanger extending through a cylindrical opening in said support means, and resilient means under compression between said pivot means and said support means, said pivot means being formed and arranged and rotatable by distorting said resilient means and stressing the same in compression to thus reduce the yield thereof in the plane extending through the longitudinal axes of said pivot means and said hanger, said resilient means comprising a normally cylindrical rubber bushing distorted to the shape of the space between said opening and said pivot means whereby said bushing is under greater initial compression along a V,

plane angularly related to the plane of the hanger than in the plane of the hanger.

9. In a brake hanger, support means, a resilient member connected to said support means, and a substantially vertical hanger having a connection with said resilient member, said connection being rotatable by deforming said resilient member and being formed and arranged to stress said resilient member to reduce the yield thereof in a plane substantially vertically of said hanger and axially of said member, said resilient member being under lesser initial compression at areas adjacent said plane than at areas remote from said plane.

10. A brake assembly comprising a bracket having a socket, a bearing block snugly received with said socket, a loop hanger having a crossbar extending through a cylindrical opening in said block,and a normally cylindrical resilient member within said opening compressed between and in tight engagement with said crossbar and said block, said crossbar being oval in cross section with its major diameter disposed substantially normal to the plane of the hanger, said member being deformed to conform to the contour of the space between said crossbar and the periph" cry of said opening whereby said member is loaded under greatest compression at points in line with the major diameter and under least compression in line with the minor diameter of said portion.

11. A brake assembly comprising a support member, a bearing block supported therefrom, a hanger comprising pivot means extending through a cylindrical opening in said block, and a cylindrical resilient bushing in said opening compressed between and connected to said pivot means and block, said pivot means comprising a rigid member substantially elliptical in cross section arranged with its major diameter disposed angularly with respect to the plane of said hanger, said bushing being under greatest initial compression at points remote from said plane and under least compression at points within said plane.

12. A brake hanger assembly comprising a onepiece loop hanger with a crossbar of nonround section, a cylindrical resilient bushing deformed to fit complementally on said crossbar and connected thereto, a one-piece bearing block having a cylindrical opening receiving said bushing and connected thereto, said section being formed and arranged to stress said bushing in compression in the plane of said hanger upon relative rotation between said bearing block and said hanger, said bushing being initially compressed between said section and said block within said opening, the compressive loading of said bushing at various points varying with the distance between corresponding points on the block and section.

ROBERT B. COTTRELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 131,671 Eils Sept. 24, 1872 1,325,531 Palmquist Dec. 23, 1919 1,768,686 Herbert July 1, 1930 2,043,442 McNeil June 9, 1936 2,150,631 Piron Mar. 14, 1939 2,168,148 Arehart Aug. 1, 1939 2,246,894 Oelkers June 24, 1941 2,263,521 Schieferstein Nov. 18, 1941 

